Confused Noob, chemical issues...

[Tomac1]

I've got a few qustions I've been working on for the past week. If these questions have already been answered, forgive me, I don't have my own computer, and the library only allows me an hour a day, also I'm real short on cash and can't afford to pay for information right now. If you have a link to a place online with answers to any of the following please supply them. Please & thank you.

1) The proper proportions to mix ammonium and chlorine to make ammonium chloride for the purpose of precipitating platinum out of an aqua regia solution. If I want to precipitate 1 ounce of platinum how much ammonium chloride do I need for that?

2) If I buy muretic acid at he hardware store in solid crystall form, what is the process for getting that into a liquid form of the acid, to be mixed with Nitric Acid to make Aqua Regia. I'm guessing I mix the crystalls with water, but how do I judge the concentration, and what concentration do I need.

3) How/Where can I go online to learn how to make concentrated nitric acid (%70)?

4) About how much platinum is in your average spent catalyst (normal sized vehicle), most people are telling me around 1 ounce. please advise.

 

[element47]

I've got a few qustions I've been working on for the past week. If these questions have already been answered, forgive me, I don't have my own computer, and the library only allows me an hour a day, also I'm real short on cash and can't afford to pay for information right now. If you have a link to a place online with answers to any of the following please supply them. Please & thank you.

1) The proper proportions to mix ammonium and chlorine to make ammonium chloride for the purpose of precipitating platinum out of an aqua regia solution. If I want to precipitate 1 ounce of platinum how much ammonium chloride do I need for that?

2) If I buy muretic acid at he hardware store in solid crystall form, what is the process for getting that into a liquid form of the acid, to be mixed with Nitric Acid to make Aqua Regia. I'm guessing I mix the crystalls with water, but how do I judge the concentration, and what concentration do I need.

3) How/Where can I go online to learn how to make concentrated nitric acid (%70)?

4) About how much platinum is in your average spent catalyst (normal sized vehicle), most people are telling me around 1 ounce. please advise.

You are definitely confused, that much you've gotten right.

Refining metals is an area in which a lack of information, produced by poor access to educational and informational materials; and a lack of safety equipment (perhaps produced by a lack of funds to purchase same) is a recipe for poor results at minimum and serious, permanent personal injury at worst. The folks on this forum who go from noobs to skilled refiners (kadriver: search for his posts; being AFAIK the most shining example) study this stuff for MONTHS before mixing their first chemical. The questions you are asking indicate raging unfamiliarity with the realities.

Every question you have asked is answered on this forum, except that I do not think anyone here makes Ammonium Chloride. Making concentrated Nitric acid is a highly dangerous operation, and this stuff can KILL YOU or BLIND YOU if you do not fully understand the limits, the dangers, and the precautions. There are also many, many videos on YouTube that show lots of the stuff you are asking. I don't mean to insult you, but there is no way I can recommend you proceed towards anything whatsoever other than acquiring much, much more information and understanding than you currently have. Your post is among the most alarming I myself have read on this forum. Meanwhile, the skilled refiners on this forum will not answer such basic questions that have already been answered, many times.

Don't get angry. I may have just saved you your eyesight or the skin on your face.

 

[goldsilverpro]

I might mention that I know of no muriatic in a solid form. Muriatic is hydrochloric acid, HCl, and HCl is a gas dissolved in water. I have no idea what that was you found in a hardware store.

With refining, patience is definitely a virtue. You can't just jump right into the middle of it until you've gained some knowledge. If you do, you'll probably get hurt and everything you attempt will be a flop. I know you don't have much money but, getting the idea that you can manufacture all your own chemicals can only end in frustration. I would start learning by downloading and reading the Hoke book and watching Steve's videos on his website. Then, you'll know enough to be able to properly search and study the forum.

http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=2480

http://www.goldrecovery.us/

Maybe someone on the forum could help you get a functional computer. Where do you live?

 

[philddreamer]

"How much Pt in a average spent cat... an ounce?"

If this is the reason for been in such a hurry to get started, well, its more like a gram, at best!
You need to become better acquianted with the chemicals & their reactions.
Like Element & GSP have already pointed out, these chemicals will hurt you & even kill you. Family, friends, neighbors can also be seriously affected. Property damage and so on... I know a person that has ruined the metals in his apartment because of the AP processes he's done for over a year! :shock:

You can learn to recover & refine any precious metal thru this great forum, but you MUST read, read, read first.
Please, understand the seriousness & dangers of your endeavour.

Take care!

Phil

 

[butcher]

My advice would be to forget this as a way to make money.
Concentrate on finding a paying job, after you have work read the free materials provided by this forum, collect scrap. This can be a great learning process, a great hobby, but you will not make a living just jumping into this normally, it will take much learning, and time.

The information provided here is free and worth more than the metals we refine, there are some very easy processes that are great to begin learning on, like memory fingers and acid peroxide, as GSP one of our leading members suggests Hoke's book is a must if you expect any kind of understanding in this field, there is free download under several members signature lines, you really do not need to spend much money on supplies, much of what I use comes from second hand stores as my lab ware, many of tools like fume hoods, furnaces and ball mills and the like can be built, and yes many of the things you need like ammonium chloride can be made (I make my own), Hydrochloric acid can be bought at a fair price, nitric can be made or bought but is sometimes very hard to get or very costly, it can also be made, once you understand from much studying, safety and dealing with waste is also one of the most important things you will need to learn, you may be able to make a few dollars doing this but I can almost guarantee you will make more from a minimum wage job, and spend less energy and money and time. After you learn this there is potential to make some profit, but most will probably spend more money than they make, especially until they learn, people think these metals will make them rich, but most of the miners I have known are not rich men, many are poor dreamers, this is not to discourage you or encourage you, just how I see it, this is a very vast study, not something you will learn easily, and without following the advice you have been given by these posts on your question will even be more difficult, if you like learning and studying something that is very challenging you have come to the right place, if you think you can just jump into this and make money this is the wrong place.

Welcome to the forum Tomac1, you have a mountain or studying to do so I will let you get to that.

 

[Tomac1]

Ok, finally got my own laptop, now that I've been able to do some real studying I realize that the questions I asked at the beginning of this thread were off to say the least.

I've got a few methods together I'm gonna give them a try in the next 2 weeks.

If your new and also having trouble with cats, first read hoke, then read cw ammen, go directly to page 248 the entire section is devoted to recovery of PGMs from cats.

 

[kadriver]

Hello and welcome to the forum:

I found the aquaintence experiments at the beginning of Hoke's book very beneficial. It taught me what to look for when metals are dissolved in acids.

Especially metals like lead and tin - they are sometimes troublesome for refiners, especially those new to refining like me.

Also, the section on test solutions is very helpful. I think it is ch 4 in Hoke.

If you have a Lowes near your location, then you can buy a gallon of 37% hydrochloric acid for about $7 and make much aqua regia with it.

I think just about everyone on this forum uses hydrochloric acid from Lowes or Home Depot.

kadriver

 

[lazersteve]

...Every question you have asked is answered on this forum, except that I do not think anyone here makes Ammonium Chloride...

Sorry for the extremely late reply, but here is where we discussed the process to make ammonium chloride:

Ammonium Chloride Recipie

All chemical compounds can be made, but just as Butcher stated, is it worth the time and effort to do so or are you better off paying for the compound.

For the record, you can use potassium chloride in place of ammonium chloride when working with Pt and Pd. This salt is readily available at most supermarkets and much cheaper than ammonium chloride.

Steve